republican leader, mitch mcconnell, was spotted at the capital. when asked if they would reach a deal, he told reporters, quote, i hope so. erica? >> many americans hoping so too. >>> david gregory is moderator of "meet the press." good morning. >> good morning, erica. >> you sat down with an exclusive interview with the president. did he seem optimistic to you? >> he says he is optimistic but really preparing to play hardball. his own approach, plan "b," is a small deal to get an extension of the middle class tax cuts and do very little else. the fight over the debt continues into the new year just weeks ahead over the debt limit. this is, in effect, something he feels so strongly about doing now. you go back months and months and months, the feeling in the white house is if they win the election, they are going to get their tax increase on wealthier americans. there is a feeling the president has to step back from that, to compromise on that key point would be a failure of leadership. >> talking about the stop gap, you are mentioning it here. th